1. Every traveller, no matter where they are going, 5 star hotels to sleeping in parks, will always need a Maglite, the link sends you to my favorite one. Its the perfect size, you can pack it in your camera bag, keep it on a keychain, it is easily hidden so if you ever find yourself in an "unfavorable" part of town/village/city/hamlet, its good to have.
2. Moleskin, the perfect present for anyone on your list about to embark on a trip. My Father gave me one a few years ago for Christmas, and it is one of my treasured travel companions. I love the pocket at the end of the journal where you can store ticket stubs, airplane tickets etc.
3. For your super fabulous friend who loves the finer things in life, nothing is better than a Louis Vuitton Travel Guide. My sister bought me the London book, and while its lovely to dream about going to those places in London, its a great guide to the more fabulous things to splurge on while in a particular City.
4. For your more down to earth, backpacker type friend, obviously anything from Lonely Planet will be appreciated. From their guide books to coffee table books, with amazing photos, a perfect gift for anyone caught in wanderlust.
5. A sarong, yes this might sounds weird. But trust me, it can be used in the following situations: need to cover your legs to be allowed into a Greek monastery? boom the sarong works. Need to cover your hostel pillow because "you just aren't too sure about it", sarong FTW. Need a blanket, use the sarong. I got mine in 1999, in the Plaka in Athens, and have packed it on literally every single trip since then. Totally worth the 20 drachmas, and it takes up zero room in your backpack.
6. A compass, this is my favorite one which can be found for $8 at Mountain Equipment Coop, its actually attached to my maglite. It helps you find your bearings, and if its the middle of the night and you can only remember that your hotel is somewhere across a river, and forget the name, you have your compass, maglite and probably your lonely planet. The perfect trifecta will help you find your way. If that fails, those park benches are probably looking pretty comfy right about now, aren't they?
7. *Splurge Item* Ok so this item is a tad pricey, its from Barbour, a fantastic British company that makes some amazing rain wear. Its my go to carry on bag, it fits my DSLR, a wallet, iPhone, batteries, Lonely Planet, magazines, bottle of water, honestly you can put anything in it. Its hoenstly perfect, it took me a while to finally find a great messenger bag, and this is the winner. Mine is the traditional green plaid color, but they have a variety of colors.
8. If your friend just got back from a neat trip, a cool gift suggestion is finding a vintage map of one of the places they went to, or a map of the world and they can pin all the places they've been and where they want to go. You can find them virtually anywhere, etsy is a great place to start, I go to this store Write Impressions in Oakville and they always have some in stock.
9. Large Ziploc bags - yes ziploc bags, they are always needed on trips, they act as clean/dirty cloth seperators, helps to protect your shampoo from exploding all over your clothes. Your friend will love you for this present.
10. If your friend fell in love with an NGO, or is planning a volunteering trip, give them a donation, the money goes a long way !!
I could go on and on, or you could just ask me for other suggestions :)
Have fun shopping !!
No comments:
Post a Comment